GOOD progress has been made attracting businesses to Prudhoe’s mammoth shopping park, say developers.

In November last year, the £20m development won approval from the the county council’s strategic planning committee.

Three outline planning applications were unanimously approved at a committee meeting.

The applications were for a 70,000 sq ft out-of-town retail park in Low Prudhoe and a town centre redevelopment to the north of Front Street.

Thirty new houses will also be built, with 15 per cent earmarked as affordable homes, on land south of Broomhouse Lane.

The three-part development is a joint venture between Northumberland Estates and Arch, the Northumberland Development Company.

When the plans were first announced in February 2016, the investment was described as a ‘show of confidence’ in Prudhoe.

And the developments have been cited as having the potential to create up to 200 jobs.

Speaking after outline permission was granted, head of development and planning at Northumberland Estates, Colin Barnes, said there was good interest in both the retail and housing aspects.

However since then, no further information on the progress of the scheme has been made public.

The plans follow in the footsteps of Northumberland Estates’ previous £30m town centre scheme which collapsed after supermarket chain Sainsbury’s withdrew.

So the protracted silence over the latest plans has caused disquiet in the town.

But this week, Northumberland Estates said it hadmade ‘good progress’ in marketing the sites since winning planning permission.

The company said that the details were ‘commercially confidential’ but that it was preparing to make a statement about the Low Prudhoe site, the first phase of the development.

Mr Barnes added: “The detailed plans will require further consent from the council. However, we are working with Arch to bring forward the first phase of development in a timely manner.”